This hub was inspired by a thread on one of the forums that asked whether music these days was worse than it used to be. My feeling is that the answer to this is a definite no as there is tons of great music being produced that will never see the spotlight of chart success.

This list is therefore to showcase some of the great songs by bands you may not have heard of. I’ve tried to deliberately avoid any indie heavy-hitters (e.g. flaming lips, arcade fire) that might not have a lot of mainstream recognition but are pretty far from being ‘unknown.’ I’ve also tried to choose songs which are not too experimental and could be appreciated by anyone with fairly mainstream tastes.

Therefore, in no particular order, here are ten of the best songs you’ve never heard of. To be clear the format is band followed by the title of the song.

1. Gaslight Radio – Is By Bus: A criminally underrated Australian band and their finest hour (or rather, their finest three minutes). This track has a brilliant, buzzy riff and a gorgeous guitar sound that evokes driving through wide open spaces.

2. Trespassers William – Love You More: Beautiful, cut-glass vocals atop soft instrumentation. Clocking in at nearly six and a half minutes this song is maybe a little too long but the main vocal line keeps drawing you back in until the close.

3. The Belltower – Elements of Place: A fantastic slice of moody psychedelia with lyrics about ‘castles and queens.’ Subtle brass underscores the atmosphere and bolsters the rolling drum beat. This song is pretty obscure so be prepared to search to hunt it down!

4. Bleach – Trip and Slide: There are (probably) several bands called Bleach but this Bleach is the early 1990’s shoegaze band. This track is easily their finest and really soars.

5. Clams – Pnutbutterirony: Fuzzy Japanese rock with gorgeous female vocals. I have no idea what they’re singing about but it’s a great tune!

6. Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You: A great track reminiscent of ‘White Album’ Beatles. A thumping beat and bass line drives this track along.

7. Ringo Deathstarr – Starsha: Possibly the best band name of all time, this fuzz-covered, reverb-soaked track will rock your socks off.

8. Atlas Sound – Walkabout: Infectious, Beach Boys-esque pop track from with a killer organ chirp of a hook.

9. A Faulty Chromosome – Jackie O: Downbeat, lo-fi pop with a great chorus. A bit of an acquired taste but if you have an ear for a tune you will be greatly rewarded.

10. Camper Van Beethoven – All Her Favourite Fruit: Beautifully-orchestrated tune that explores a somewhat weird case of unrequited love.

Indie fans can score yourselves out of 10. I think >5 and you can pat yourselves on the back. If you’ve enjoyed this thread then please feel free to send me your own recommendations on great unknown/lesser known tracks.